ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION: THE BIGGEST THREAT
By Syed Mustafa Ahmad
Environmental pollution can be defined as the addition of some unwanted substances in the environment, which are harmful for both living and non living. It can also be defined as the decrease in the level of the life-living gases that result in the rise of some other unwanted gases, which ultimately cause the environmental pollution. It is not a recent phenomenon. But it is the process of many centuries. In recent years, it has kept a brisk pace. The previous decade witnessed some of the hottest years of the century. It is visible in the decreasing of the ground water level in India, flooding of many areas, the bushfires of Australia, the melting of glaciers in the fragile Himalayan region, the thinning of the ice in Antarctica, the extinction of species, the vulnerability of species, the huge storms, the spreading of deadly diseases, etc. There are many other examples that only suggest that the situation is going from bad to worse. But the point I want to discuss is that if a man is the crown of humanity, why can’t he solve this problem? And more importantly than this is that what are the causes responsible for this global problem. Let us try to know more about this. First is industrialization. The heavy machinery creates havoc in the environment. The chimneys produce the toxic gases. The effluents or the hot waters from the industries go into the seas. They destroy the ecosystem of the marine life, which eventually disturb the ecological stability or balance of the environment. Moreover, the other wastes produced by the industries are dumped without any scientific watch. It also plays with the delicateness of the environment. Delhi is a good example of this. The dumping site is as big as a mountain. It kills animals, human beings, spreads diseases, wastes energy, litters the landscape, etc. In our valley, we also witness the same situation. There is no planning on the part of the government to decompose the wastes in a scientific manner. In Israel, the majority of the wastes is decomposed in a scientific manner. But we can’t do it? Second is deforestation. Deforestation results in rain deficiency on the one hand and droughts on the other hand. It is being reported that a large part of the Amazon forests is cleared due to continuous felling of trees. In our valley, the smugglers are hand in glove with the government in looting our precious resources. Everyday we come across the news that smugglers are caught red-handed in this and that part of the valley. It has given rise to the loss of the habitats of the wild animals. The end result is the human-wild conflict. Recently, many wild animals were seen in the human habitations due to our greed and narrow-minded approach. Overall, the continuous felling of trees has brought a lot of harm to the environment. Trees keep the ecological balance of the environment. When they are cut ruthlessly, there are cent percent chances of the environmental pollution. Third is the continuous rise in the plying of vehicles on the already narrow roads. Every day, new vehicles appear playing on the roads. First, the roads are not so wide to drive comfortably. The result is that many lives are lost. The fuel used in the majority of vehicles is non-renewable. It means that it won’t last forever. Moreover, these vehicles produce the toxic gases that disturb the environment on the large scale. Acid rain is a good example of this. Slowly and steadily, the ground is prepared for the environmental pollution. Fourth is that we waste energy. The bulbs are on without any purpose. The taps drip through out the day and night. The vehicles are washed with the drinking water. The engines of the vehicles are not stopped at the red light. Food is wasted on most of the functions. Mobile phones are on without any purpose. The televisions and radios are talking through out the day and night without any listeners. Refrigerators, washing machines, vaccum cleaners, etc., are on without any real purpose. There are many examples like this which suggest that there is some leniency on our part. In short, the above discussion has one thing in common that is all the things destroy the environment in one way or other. Last is that we are unaware about the importance of the environment. We take things for granted. We don’t have such kind of mindsets that may help us to ponder over the diversities in the environment. We never bother to respect the endowments bestowed upon us by the Creator of the universe. We come to senses when it is too late. This approach of ungratefulness is very dangerous. It is necessary to have compassion towards the environment. It pays and will pay if we remain little bit diligent. A lot of damage has been done. Now, there is need to carry out the mission of the real construction. We have to remain careful in not destroying the environment further. There is an urgent need of this mindset. We can’t be so complacent. Let us pledge that every person at his or her individual level, try his or best to protect the environment.
By: Syed Mustafa Ahmad .Syedmustafaahmad9@gmail.com.
